Socket



Sept. 5, 1944. v. CARLSON E A 2,357,311

SOCKET Filled May '29, 1941 INVEN o s [49197 n K rl-5 /2 24 E? fidl Patented Sept. 5, 1944 socKE'r Vernon E. Carlson and Paul T. Hahn, Detroit,

Mich., assignors to Eureka Vacuum Cleaner Company, Detroit, Mich.,

Michigan a corporation of Application May 29, 1941, Serial No. 395,743

11 Claims. (01. 173-328) This invention relates to alight socket. A principal. object of the invention is to provide a new and improved construction of light socket, which is simple in design, cheaper to manufacture, and easier to assemble than sockets of this type heretofore available.

Other objectsand advantages of the invention will be apparent from a consideration of the following specification, taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawing, of which there is one sheet, and wherein:

Fig. 1 is a top plan View of a light socket embodying the invention;

Fig. 2 is a bottom plan view of the same;

' Fig. 3 is a section taken in the plane along the line 33 of Fig. 1, looking in the direction of the'arrows;

Fig. 4 is a section taken in the plane. along the line 4-4 of Fig. 1, looking in the direction of the arrows; and

Fig. 5 is an exploded view of the parts illustrating the method of assembly thereof.

-As illustrated in the embodiment of the invention selected for purposes of illustration, a socket embodying our invention comprises a body member II) which may be molded out of some electrical non-conductingmaterial and providing a socket I2 for the reception of a bulb indicated at I4, and a lug or boss I6 provided with a hole I8 therethrough by means of which the body It] may be suitably secured in position. The inside wall ofithe body I0 which defines the socket I2 is formed to provide bayonet slots which are adapted to receive the bayonet pins carried by the bulb I4 and cooperate therewith for rer'novably securing the bulb I4 in the socket I2, the slots 20 being enlarged within the socket and provided with an ofiset so as to form shoulders 22 so as to prevent accidental displacement of the bulb I4 from the socket.

The bottom wall 24 ofthe body I0 is provided with apertures 26 through which the electric pords 28. pass, the walls I2 above the openings 26 being relieved to form slots 30 terminating in shoulders 3| for a purpose hereinafter described. The bottom wall 24 of the body inside the socket is provided with upstanding locating pins 32. A disc 34 formed of electrical non-conducting material such as Micarta" has a pair of contacts 36 secured thereto. The construction of each of the contacts 36 and the assembly thereof to the disc 34 and to the electric cord 28 is the same. One end 38 of a strip of electrical conducting spring material such as copper is arranged to overlie the disc 34 and form one of the contacts 36, while the other end 39 of such strip, which is of a y-shaped form, is arranged below the disc 34 and provided with an aperture therein. An

eyelet 46 passes through the aperture in the end 39 of the contact strip and through an aperture in the disc 34, the end of the eyelet on the upper face 42 of the disc being turned over and flattened so as to anchor the eyelet 40 to the disc 34. The wire 29 of one of the electric cords 28 is arranged around the eyelet 4|] adjacent the end 39 of the contact strip and the eyelet 40 is swedged over the wire 29 so as to clamp the same against the end 39 of the contact strip and to clamp both the wire 29 and the end 39 of the contact strip to theunder side of the disc 34. The pin 32 is adapted to project .into the eyelet 40 so as to hold the same against rotation. The contact strip'is formed to provide a tongue 44 which is adapted to engage the shoulder 3| at the end of the slot 36 so as to prevent the separation v of the disc. and contact assembly from the socket I2. An edge of disc 34 may be relieved to accommodate the contact strip where it passes from one side to the other thereof.

In assembling, the contacts 36 and wires 29 are assembled to the disc 34 by means of the eyelets 40 as illustrated in Fig. 5. The construction and assembling of each of the contacts and the wires 29 to the disc 34 is independent of the other of the contacts. Thereafter the ends of the wire 28 may-.be passed through the openings 26 in the bottom wall 24 of the body' ID with the holes of the eyelets 40 in line with the locating pins 32 formed on the bottom wall of the socket l2. Thereafter, by moving the disc 34 and contacts 36 assembled thereto to the right (Fig. 5)

' and forcing the same into the socket I2 against the drag of the tongues 44 on the Side wall of the socket, the contact assembly and the disc 34 .may be seated in the bottom of the socket I2 with the pins 32 projecting through the holes in the eyelet. At this point the tongues 44 will snap into the slots 30 and the tongues 44,.due to the resiliency thereof, will spring outwardly and seat scription is for the purpose of illustration only and is not definitive of the limits of the inventive idea. The right is reserved to make such changes in the details of construction and arrangement of parts as will fall within the purview of the attached claims.

We claim;

1. Socket construction for a bulb comprising a body formed to provide a socket adapted to receive a bulb and having means for removably securing said bulb therein, said socket being provided with locating pins, a contact assembly adapted to be arranged in said socket and comprising an. apertured disc ofelectrical non-conducting material, a pair of contacts carried by said disc, each of said contacts including an apertured portion arranged along side of said disc, an eyelet extending through an aperture in said disc and an aperture in said portion and having the ends thereof turned over for clamping said portions of said contact and said disc together, and an electric wire clamped to said portion by said eyelet, said pins projecting into said eyelets,

and means for securing said contact assembly in 1 said socket.

' 2. Socket,construction for a bulb comprising a body formed to provide a socket adapted to receive a bulb and having means for removably securing said bulb therein, said socket being provided with locating pins, a contact assembly adapted to be arranged in said socket and comprising an apertured disc of electrical non-conducting material, a pair' of contacts carried by said disc, each of said contacts including an apertured portion arranged along side of said disc, an eyelet extending through an aperture in said disc and an aperture in said portion and having the ends thereof turned over for clamping said portions of said contact and said disc together, and an electric wire clamped to said portion by said eyelet, said pins projecting into said eyelets, and means for, securing said contact assembly in said socket comprising a prong carried by said contact assembly and cooperable with a portion of the walls of said socket.

'3. Socket construction fora bulb comprising a body formed to provide a socket adapted to receive a bulb and having means for removably securing said bulb therein, said socket being provided with locating pins, a contact assembly adapted to be arranged in said socket and comprising an apertured disc of electrical non-conducting material, a pair of contacts carried by said disc, each of said contacts including an apertured portion arranged along side of said disc, an eyelet extending through an aperture in said disc and an aperture in said portion and having the ends thereof turned over for clamping said portions of said contact and said disc together, and an electric wire clamped to said portion by said eyelet, said pins projecting into said eyelets, and means for securing said contact assembly in said socket, said body being provided with openings through which the electric wires connected to said contact assembly extend.

4. Socket construction for a bulb comprising a body formed to provide a socket adapted to removably retain a bulb, a contact asembly adapted to bearranged in said socket and comprising a U-shaped metallic spring member with the arms thereof arranged transversely of said socket, one arm of said member having a current conductor connected therewith and the other arm of said memberforming a spring contact '75 against which a contact on the bottom of a bulb is adapted to be seated, said spring contact being disposed so as to be between the bottom of said socket and said bulb when the latter is operatively arranged in said socket, said member including an integral laterally extending prong projecting from the member in a direction diverging from said arms and Which prong is cooperable with a shoulder formed on the wall of said socket for securing said assembly in position in said socket.

5. Socket construction for a bulb comprising a cup-like body member formed to provide a socket adapted to receive a bulb and having means for removably securing said bulb therein, a contact assembly adapted to be inserted into the bottom of said socket from the bulb end thereof and comprising a thin disc of electrical nonconducting material, said disc being smaller than the socket, a pair of contacts carried by said disc, each of said contacts being formed of a fiat strip of metal and including a portion forming a contact for cooperation with said bulb and another portion clamped to said disc and connected to an electric wire, and means carried by said assembly and ,cooperable with said body member for securing said contact assembly in said socket.

6. Socket construction for a bulb comprising a cup-like body member formed to provide a socket adapted to receive a bulb and having means for removably securing said bulb therein, a substantially fiat contact assembly adapted to be inserted into the bottom of said socket from the bulb end thereof and comprising a disc of electric-al non-conducting material, said disc being smaller than the socket, a pair of duplicate contacts carried by said disc, each of said contacts including a part forming a contact for cooperation with said bulb and a portion clamped to said disc and to an electric wire on the side of said disc opposite said contact, means integral with said. contacts and cooperable with shoulders formed integrally with said body member for securing said contact assembly in said socket.

7. Socket construction for a bulb comprising a body formed to provide a socket adapted to receive a bulb and having means for removably securing said bulb therein, a fiat contact assembly adapted to be arranged in the bottom of said socket and comprisinga thin sheet-like disc of electrical non-conducting material, a pair of spring contacts carried by said disc, each of said contacts including a flat laterally extending por-- tion projecting inwardly from the side of said disc and disposed so as to be between said disc and said bulb when the same is arranged in said socket and forming a contact for cooperation with said bulb and another flatportion clamped to said disc and to an electric wire, and means for securing said contact assembly in said socket comprising interfitting projections arranged on said body and on said contact assembly and at least one of which is adapted to snap into looking position when said contact assembly is inserted within said socket,

8. Socket construction for a bulb comprising a body formed to provide a socket adapted to receive a bulb, the bottom of said socket being closed by a wall provided with openings therein and with locating means, the wall of said socket being relieved to provide a shoulder, a contact assembly comprising a disc and a pair of contacts carried thereby, each of said contacts comprising a U-shaped strip having a part arranged on each side of said disc, an eyelet clamping one of said parts to said disc and having the end of an electric wire connected thereto, the opening in at least one of said eyelets being adapted to receive said locating means, a bendable tongue carried by said contact assembly and being adapted to seat against said shoulder when said contact assembly is positioned withinsaid socket, the openings in said Wall closing the bottom of said socket being adapted to accommodate the wires which are connected to said contacts.

9. Socket construction for a bulb comprising a cup-shaped body member formed to provide a socket adapted to receive a bulb, a shoulder provided internally of said socket, a substantially flat contact assembly comprising a thin disc and a pair'of contacts carried thereby, said assembly being smaller than said socket and insertable therein from the bulb end thereof, each of said contacts comprising a U-shaped strip having a part arranged on each side of said disc, a rivet clamping one of said parts and the end of an electric wire to said disc, and a bendable tongue carried by said contact assembly and being adapted to seat against said shoulder when said contact assembly is positioned within said socket, said body having at least one opening in the wall thereof adapted to accommodate the wires which are connected to said contacts.

10. Socket construction for a bulb comprising a body formed to provide a socket adapted to receive a bulb, the side walls of said socket being formed to provide bayonet slots which are adapted to receive pins carried by the bulb and cooperate therewith for removably securing said ,bulbin said socket, said slots being enlarged at their inner ends and provided with an offset so as to form shoulders which prevent accidental displacement of the bulb from the socket, a contact assembly arranged in the bottom of said socket and comprisinga sheet-like disc and a pair of contacts carried thereby, each of said contacts comprising a U-shaped strip, one end of each of said strips being clamped to said disc by a rivet to which the end of an electric current conductor is connected, and a bendable tongue carried by said contact assembly and adapted to cooperate with a shoulder formed on said body when said contact asembly is positioned within said socket, said body having at least one opening therein through which said current conductors pass. 7 7

11. Socket construction for a bulb comprising a cup-like body member formed to provide a socket adapted to receive a bulb and having means for removably securing said bulb therein, a contact assembly adapted to be inserted into the bottom of said socket from the bulb end thereof and comprising a thin'disc of electrical non-conducting material, said disc being smaller than the socket, a contact carried by said disc, said contact being formed of a flatstrip of metal and including a portion forming a contact for cooperation with said bulb and another portion clamped to said disc and connected to an electric Wire, and means carried by said assembly and cooperable with said body member for securing said contact assembly in said socket.

VERNON E. CARLSON. PAUL T. HAHN. 

